Heart Aflame
by Treta Aysel
Summary: While at a chairty event, Angelica meets someone but within the next couple of minutes her sister has eyes for him. She resigns herself to the fact that she might be alone. Or will she? [Modern AU]


**Heart Aflame: **

She lifted the flute of champagne to her lips, taking a sip. Lowering the glass, she looked around the room. Her father had sent her and her sister Eliza to the charity event. It almost seemed like all the upper class of Albany was there. It was almost too much for Angelica and, while she normally liked being around other, she needed a small breather. A small breath of air.

"Would you care for some company?"

Angelica jumped at the unexpected voice. She looked over her shoulder and saw a man about her age, standing near her. She shrugged her shoulders, eyebrow raising at him, lips pursing as she looked him over, trying to size him up. He was handsome enough and apart of her wanted to get to know him more. "I don't just let anyone keep me company, Mr…" She trialed over, noting that they hadn't even been introduced yet.

The man smiled at her, giving her a small nod of his head. "Hamilton. My name is Alexander Hamilton." When he paused, his gaze sweeping over her, taking her in. Angelica felt a chill run down her spine. "Now does knowing my name make me not just someone."

He had a cocky grin on his face when he finished his sentence and Angelica took another swig of her champagne as she lowered her glass. He took a step or two closer and she was finaly able to get a look at him and his suit told Angelica more about him. It looked worn, so he didn't seem to come from money like most of the other people in the room. "So, Mr. Hamilton," she began as she gave him a smile.

"Call me Alexander, Ms…."

"Schuyler, Angelica Schuyler."

The name must've caught some recognition with him as his eyes widened a bit, looking her over but the expression turned back into his smile. Her father was one of the most well-known judges in Albany after all. She couldn't help but wonder if he was a student, studying law. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Schuyler."

Angelica grinned in return, finishing off her champagne. "Call me Angelica." A waiter passed by as she set her class on champagne on the tray, the man walking off with it.

He nodded as he held out his arm to her. "Would you care to dance?"

Angelica grinned, reaching out and accepting his arm. "I would love to."

Alexander escorted her out to the dance floor as another song began. It was a waltz.

After all of a minute, Angelica raised an eyebrow at her partner, an amused smile as she watched him. "I take it you've never danced a waltz before."

He gave her a sheepish grin. "Well, not with someone else per say." He glanced around a moment as his eyes found hers, making Angelica's heart flutter. "Between you and me, this isn't my type of party normally."

"Well, your suit doesn't exactly scream I have a lot of money."

Alexander chuckled as they danced across the floor, looking down at their feet to keep from stepping on them. "My suit gives away everything that easy, hm?" He chuckled, shaking his head as he looked at her.

"Just a tad," she chuckled.

"Well," he began as he glanced off for a second before their eyes met again. "In all honesty, I'm here with my boss. He was invited and wanted me to come with him." His shoulders came up and down with a shrug. "He said something about rubbing elbows with powerful people."

The song ended almost too soon for Angelica's tastes. She wanted to keep talking to Alexander but instead of wandering off to find someone else to talk to, he escorted her to where the refreshments were stationed. He brought her hand to his lips, placing a soft kiss to the back of her hand. "Thank you for dancing with me, Miss Schuyler."

While, most of the time, she felt a kiss on the back of her hand was cheesy, a little old school, she felt heat rising to her cheeks as she nodded her head. "Of course, it was my pleasure, Mr. Hamilton." She grinned as she watched him reaching over for two glasses of champagne. She reached out and took the glass from him.

Alexander opened his mouth to say something before something over her shoulder caught his attention. He looked down at Angelica with a small smile. "I'll be right back; my boss wants to see me."

Angelica nodded, smile still there. He had told her that he was there with his boss, of course he wasn't there to flirt with women. "Of course," she said as she watched him go, taking a sip of her wine.

"So, who was that?"

Angelica blinked, glancing over her shoulder. Her younger sister, Eliza, was standing there, looking in the direction that Alexander had just headed off in. She lowered her glass and smiled. "Ah, just some guy I met. He said his name was Alexander."

Eliza smiled, still looking that way. "He looks cute."

Angelica shrugged with a grin forming on her lips at the recent memory. "Terrible dancer though."

"Can you introduce me?"

Angelica's eyes widened a moment before she forced the smile back on her face, hand coming to rest on her sister's shoulder. "He said that he had to go meet his boss but if he comes back, I'll be sure and introduce you." It seemed that when Angelica had finished her sentence it triggered something because at that very moment Alexander had returned.

"Sorry," he apologized as he looked over at Angelica. "My boss just needed to tell me something quickly."

Angelica shook her head, holding her hand up to stop him from apologizing. "No worries." She told him as her gaze drifted over to Eliza and back to Alexander. "Alexander, I want you to meet my sister, Elizabeth."

Alexander reached out his hand to take hers. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Elizabeth."

Eliza smiled letting out a small giggle as he placed a soft kiss on it. With her free hand, she reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Please, most people call me Eliza."

The music started up again, this time a little faster than the waltz they had played a bit ago. "Would you care to dance, Eliza?"

"I'm not much of a dancer." She admitted, blushing as she glanced down at her feet for a second.

"Neither am I."

"Let's go then." With a nod, Alexander and Eliza headed out to the dance floor.

The smile from Angelica's face faded. Her gaze shifted to the ground, eyes beginning to water a bit. She downed the rest of her champagne before turning away from the dance floor. She couldn't watch them dance. She thought that she had hit it off with Alexander but when Eliza came along, his attention quickly moved from her to her sister.

Glancing over her shoulder, she watched them dance, smiling at each other. They looked like they had a connection. A connection that Angelica had wanted desperately to have.

She sighed as she stood off to the side, watching other couples dance.

Perhaps one day she would meet someone, but apart of her was starting to lose hope.

"Would you care to dance?"

Angelica blinked, glancing next to her. There standing there was a man, smiling at her, holding out his hand. For a moment or two, Angelica thought about rejecting him but as she gazed out on the dance floor, she saw her sister and Alexander dancing. She turned back to the man, nodding. "I would love to," she said as she accepted his hand.

She allowed herself to be led out onto the dance floor by him. "By the way, I don't think I caught your name." He told her as they began dancing.

Angelica smirked at him. "Well, you never did ask _or _give me your own name."

He let out a laugh, shaking his head. "Of course, how rude of me. I'm John, John Church."

"It's nice to meet you, John. I'm Angelica, Angelica Schuyler."

John nodded with a smile. "It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Angelica."

Angelica caught his eyes with her own, smiling a bit. She found herself getting lost in his eyes and suddenly it didn't matter that Eliza had wanted to be introduced to Alexander. This man in front of her, there was something deep inside of her that felt like it was just awakening.

The dance ended and the two of them were still standing there, staring at each other. "Angelica?"

"Yes?"

"Would it be so bold to ask you to get to know you better, outside of this charity event?"

Angelica nodded at him, smiling. "Yes, I would love that."

Perhaps she didn't have to wait so long after all.

Perhaps this was her chance.

Perhaps this was her one.


End file.
